Knowledge Center

How to fix a Deck

Decks Offer a Great Remodeling Opportunity

It may be easier than you think to expand the remodeling and construction service offering, especially on that great get-away place—the deck. Decks need TLC too—particularly if those boards are exposed and regularly face wind, rain and heat. A single tool – the oscillating tool, does most of the heavy lifting.

Lots of experienced woodworkers name the router as one of most versatile power tools. Workers using a router can shape decorative edges, form raised panels, cut grooves and slots, carve signs, make moldings, rout intricate inlays, trim plastic laminate and veneers, and mill dozens of woodworking joints, including rabbets, dovetails and mortises. And while the best router is handheld for most operations, it can also be mounted in a router table, creating a small stationary shaper.

If you're new to using a router, start off with a small fixed-base router or trim router, something in the 1-hp to 1-1/2-hp range. As users become more confident and comfortable using a router, move up to a larger fixed-base or plunge router in the 1¾- to 3½-hp range. Look for one with these five features in the best router: soft-start motor, smooth-operating depth-adjustment mechanism, comfortable handles or grip, push-button arbor lock for one-wrench bit changes, and a flexible power cord that's at least eight feet long.

Whether it’s new construction or maintenance, many jobs require drilling holes in concrete. Selecting the right tool for the job is critical, but making the right choice can be complicated. Types of tools, bit holding systems and drill bit types, as well as nature of the job that needs to be done and availability of electric power – these are some of the variables that need to be taken into consideration.

First some definitions for rotary drilling:

Rotary hammer: A tool that does rotary drilling using rotation and a hammering action that breaks up the concrete as the bit rotates. Rotary hammers are designed for day-in/day-out use.

Demolition hammer: Heavy-duty tool designed to chip or break up concrete.

Combination hammer: A dual-mode hammer designed to either drill or break up concrete.

Before selecting a hammer for rotary drilling, determine the diameter of the holes you need to drill. The diameter of the holes will dictate the type of hammer and the bit holding system you select. Every tool has its own optimal drilling range. By identifying rotary drilling tools with optimal ranges correlating with the dimensions of the holes required, you can decide which size tool is required.

When it comes to studs, instead of automatically buying wood, consider metal. According to the Steel Framing Alliance, more than 40 percent of commercial structures are now built with steel framing and nearly 500,000 homes have been built with steel framing over the past decade. The best tool for fasteners in working with metal studs is an impact driver.

Most metal studs are made from sheet steel that is cold-formed into shapes and sizes that are similar to what builders are accustomed to in dimensional lumber (2x4, 2x6, 2x8, 2x10, 2x12 and so forth).

While metal studs do conduct cold (insulation should be applied between the outside wall and the metal to act as a thermal break), they offer many benefits and advantages over wood studs:

If you’ve ever done tuckpointing, or most other masonry grinding applications for that matter, then it’s no mystery how much hassle it is to clean up the aftermath – let alone work through the cloud of dust these grinders can cause. Grinding applications, especially with concrete, also can create health risks that should be taken seriously. General recommendations range from wearing a certified respirator to providing exhaust ventilation to employing a dust collection system on the jobsite. OSHA regulations in place to ensure proper dust extraction equipment is used and precautions are taken to reduce exposure to dust.

So what’s the best way to effectively collect 95 percent or more of the dust created during operation? The Bosch Grinder Dust Extraction System does just that. This system provides a number of attachments to be used with Bosch 1800 Series grinders as well as a Bosch AIRSWEEP™ vacuum system.

Grinder uses vary, but surface grinders for concrete applications have one thing in common: dust.

Dust collection has become a big issue, with OSHA looking closely at silica dust regulations. (You can read a primer about concrete grinding and OSHA here.) And, according to Cop Tool and Jay Amstutz, Bosch has a great new solution with the CSG15 Concrete Surfacing Grinder with Dedicated Dust Collection Shroud. The Bosch CSG15 is a next-generation surface grinder, replacing the Bosch 1773AK.

Laser tape measure is a term used by those who are used to occasionally digging out their old tape measure to find the length and width of a shelf. But for many who measure every day and value accuracy and simplicity, laser measures have become the de facto way to make all their measurements.

And with the price and simplicity of laser measures becoming more competitive to the old "analog" measuring tape, many who need precise measurements are turning every day to such tools as line lasers. Remodelers, carpenters, painters and patio builders use these tools for quick, accurate measurements, eliminating guesswork.

Bosch has recently introduced the GLM 15, the most affordable, easiest to use laser measure in its class. With just one touch of a button, the unit turns on and goes right into to measuring. For appraisers or house stagers, this is perfect for walk-off measurements that they frequently perform.

To record the measurement, the user simply clicks the button again. Done? Press and hold the button to turn the unit off.

Multitool reviews and roundups have a little something for everyone, much like oscillating multitools themselves. These multi-tools are designed to perform a lot of tasks, and no one has a more complete solution of tools and accessories in this category than Bosch.

Great for woodworking, remodeling, floor installation and other tasks (some that can't really be done well with any other tool), oscillating tools are outstanding additions to your toolbox. Recently, several Bosch models made it to the top of the editors' assessments of these woodworking tools. And whether you prefer corded or cordless, there is a Bosch that can help you get more done.

Power tools from Bosch, such as the cordless drill DDH181X, have a new technology to reduce the risk of kickback. As this drill and other tools are amped up with more power, the problem of managing kickback become more pronounced. That's where Active Response Technology comes in.

When one of these drills is jammed – put into a bind-up situation – applying power to the motor will not free the bit. Some of these new cordless tools have power to spare, and sudden high-torque movements rotate the drill … and the operator's wrists and arms. This at the least is tiring. It can be dangerous. Sometime the tool will twist out of the user's hand, swing around and hit the operator or someone close to the tool, causing bodily harm.

Wood router tools provide power and maximum control. That is especially true for palm routers, a class of woodworking tools that many may know as laminate trimmers. The Bosch PR20EVSPK Colt™ 1.0 HP Palm Router is a router tool that is a variable speed model, and the kit includes a plunge base to make it a handy and extremely versatile tool. It can handle many routing tasks just this side of a router table.

"The professional on the job site will appreciate the range that this little router can handle on the job site from kitchen remodeling to building custom staircases. Even precise pattern making is an easy task for this compact wood trim palm router from Bosch.

"The professional carpenter or kitchen remodeler will find that the Bosch Colt Palm wood router can handle a wide range of tasks. This router trims laminate for kitchen counter tops, edges wood projects, makes dadoes and decorative edges for wood cabinets.

"If you are looking for a palm router that has all the bells and whistles, then this little hand router is the one for you as it’s hard to beat."

Boombox music for the worksite is an essential part of the working environment for many professionals. And there are jobsite radios made specifically to stand up to the harsh surroundings that many construction sites dish out.

The jobsite radio or worksite portable sound system category is now one where, instead of the old portable CD player, users are able to get durable boomboxes with pumped up sounds connected to their MP3 players or phones for stored music or internet radio. And according to the reviewers in the field, none is tougher or sounds better than the cordless, portable Bosch PB360S Power Box Jobsite Radio and Charger.

Toolbox pride is nothing new to professionals in the trades who need every advantage to be as productive and profitable as possible. That's why Bosch keeps improving the Click & Go™ storage solutions system – a pro's toolbox. But a recent innovation takes integration to a new level.

Bosch designed new best-in-class portable vacuums to provide those who work with a great amount of dust on the job – applications such as tuckpointing or concrete surfacing, drilling, cutting or chipping. The design of the lineup of nine- and 14-gallon vacuums – the VAC090S and VAC090A nine-gallon vacuums and VAC140S and VAC140A 14-gallon vacuums – includes tool integration.

But the tool integration isn't only what you'd expect – that, for example, the vacuum hose securely attaches to various dust-collection guards and shrouds. It's that each of the vacuums compatible with the Click & Go™ system, in effect making the vacuum a basis for a mobile tool cart that also extracts dust while you work.

OSHA has proposed regulations that would raise standards of exposure for airborne crystalline silica, also known as silica dust. As Lauren Hunter of Hanley Wood wrote, "OSHA's proposed rule would reduce the current permissible exposure limit (PEL) from 100 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) to 50 μg/m3. Reminiscent of the Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule, projects that would exceed the new silica dust limits limit would require the use of special tools, respirators, or other remedial measures."

OSHA issued a press release that spelled out the reason for the proposals, and where the proposals are directed.

"The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a proposed rule aimed at curbing lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease in America's workers. The proposal seeks to lower worker exposure to crystalline silica, which kills hundreds of workers and sickens thousands more each year.

Circular saws that have worm drive gearing are popular choices in the West and the Midwest, according to Fine Homebuilder magazine. In the East, sidewinders are the circ saws of choice. With the different gear configurations come different strengths (and weaknesses), so many professionals including carpenters pack one or several of each kind of circular saw, to use for different applications.

A sidewinder is basically a direct-drive circular saw with the motor in line with the gearing, so the blade spins faster and the saw is more compact. The blade on a sidewinder is usually on the right (the Bosch CS5 is a sidewinder designed specifically to have the blade on the left). Sidewinders bring higher rpm but lower torque than worm drive construction saws.

Worm drive saws have the motor at the rear of the power tool, with gears oriented at 45° angles. The blade speed is slower but the torque is improved. A heavier and longer saw, a wormdrive model will usually have the blade on the left side.